Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

It looks like an accident: a suspension bridge,
its cables snapped, a boy tumbling from a
carriage into the river. But the wandering
moribito Balsa recognizes it for what it is: no
less than an attempt at assassination. For the
boy is the second Prince Chagum, and the
secret he carries could destroy the foundation
of the empire. Balsa must protect the prince
as he delivers that secretÂ—the great egg of
the Water SpiritÂ—to its source in the northern
sea. But they will find themselves hunted by
two deadly enemies: the egg-eating monster
RarungaÂ…and the prince's own father.
With a television adaptation now airing on
Cartoon Network, this extraordinary fantasy
merges the deep well of Eastern myth with the
Western fantasy tradition, for a novel that's
as rich in place and character as it is hard to
put down.